For All Time Pt. 2
For All Time Pt. 2 January 5, 1942, Washington, D.C. Oval Office "I don't think this is a good idea," said President Henry Wallace firmly, tapping his pen against the memorandum he needed to sign. "Granted, Wavell is experienced, but as I recall, Rommel handed his head to him on more than one occasion, and do we really want this Yamashita fellow doing the same thing? It seems to me we'd be better off with Doug MacArthur, or even Chet Nimitz, over Wavell." Secretary of War Henry Stimson, whose government experience predated Henry Wallace's own birth, eyed the young President as a faint note of concern sounded in his head. "Well, Mr. President, our policy is full cooperation with our British and other allies, unification of command and basic strategy, pooling of resources. And British, Dutch and Commonwealth forces in that sector of the Pacific do outnumber ours by a substantial margin at this stage. It seemed most practical to President Roosevelt to give command to the British...for the time being." Especially with that glory hound MacArthur locked up in Bataan, he thought grimly. Wallace eyed the memorandum again and finally, reluctantly signed it. "You're right, they do outnumber us there...no surprise, their half of the war is defending their Empire." He shook his head as he handed the memorandum back to Stimson. "We'll outnumber them there soon enough, once we get our boys in position." Stimson took the memo and looked at Wallace in some surprise as he rose to leave. "Well, granted that's true, Mr. President, but both of our attentions are on Europe right now, and it seems inadvisable to increase our commitment to that area just to ensure American dominance in the command-" "Do you think I don't know that?", snapped Wallace, not bothering to get up. He'd tried to get along with Roosevelt's old cabinet, but most new Presidents tended to clear out the old wood in their first year or so anyway, and there was few wood older than Stimson in American government today. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Cordell Hull when he tried to give me that line earlier today. I am the President of the United States, and I will not be trifled with. I make the decisions around here, and while I appreciate your advice, I don't need it." — "Dr. Win the War is the boss now," said President Wallace in his January 12 State of the Union Address, "but don't worry. Dr. New Deal is still alive and well, and very important around these parts." Wallace outlined a three-step program for the New Deal during the war: -The National Race Relations Board would ensure "full cooperation and promote mutual trust between the various American races, white and black, Asian and Indian, so that all the free peoples of the continent can unite, without fear or prejudice, against the foes of democracy across the seas." Privately, Wallace had already promised control of the board to Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Harry Dexter White. -The Nationalized Lend-Lease Industrial Board, Wallace's own inspiration, would place all industrial material going to help America's allies under the direct control of the US government. The US would set their wages, prices, corporate policies, while ensuring that even the owners of those companies would get what was coming to them. To head this up, Wallace has delightfully chosen the kind of man he really admires: Henry J. Kaiser. -Current New Deal programs, such as the Works Progress Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Civilian Conservation Corps would remain solidly on the books, and receive strong additional funding. Wallace believed firmly in the New Deal, passionately, even, and would see no reason to funnel money elsewhere in wartime. Plus, it will let him quietly put several supernumeraries from the last administration out to pasture, or so he hopes. ←Pt. 1 Pt. 3→